Manning Avenue Free Studio to hold Art on the Avenue fundraiser Saturday, May 6

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This Saturday, May 6, from 5:30-9 p.m., 241 Manning Ave. will be the place to be. The first fundraiser for the Manning Avenue Free Studio will be held with all proceeds going to MAFS. Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased at the South Sumter Resource Center, Sumter County Gallery of Art and at the door. There will be a lot to see and do including the cool reggae sounds of Mystic Vibrations, catered food and libations, a silent auction and a display of the art of David "Pablo" Sanders. The vision of the Manning Avenue Free Studio Project is to create an inclusive and safe space for artists, at-risk children and youth and adults to learn, value and create art as a means to heal, inspire and build equity in the South Sumter community and surrounding areas. Ivan Sanders, David Sanders' eldest son, had a vision to revitalize the Manning Avenue Free Studio, and he has brought together a dynamic and hardworking board to realize the vision.

The Manning Avenue Free Studio was founded in 1976 by the late Sanders, a local yet renowned artist and sculptor. Sanders taught at Lincoln High School, Morris College and the S.C. Arts Commission for the Arts in Prison and Arts in Motion Programs. His humanitarian services included: board member of Sumter School District 17, the Sumter Artists Guild and the Sumter County Cultural Commission. He was a founder of the annual Festival on the Avenue, a celebration of Black life and culture in South Sumter. David passed away in May 2018. His art continues to inspire local, regional and nationally known artists. The Manning Avenue Free Studio Art Project is a tribute to his legacy in the Sumter community.

As with all that we do, we could not carry on the legacy of Sanders without the support of our sponsors: Black River Electric Cooperative, Congressman James Clyburn, FTC, Calvin Hastie, Tim Lawson, Lincoln High Alumni Association, Miss Libby's and the Penn Center.